Live Demos of Active Demand Response via Z-Wave and OpenADR for the Smart Grid-Smart Home Connection

MILPITAS, CA--(Marketwire - Nov 29, 2012) - The Z-Wave Alliance, a consortium of global companies that oversees the world's largest interoperable ecosystem for wireless home control products and services, will be conducting demonstrations of demand response solutions for the Smart Grid at the Grid-Interop Conference, to be held in Irving, TX, December 3-6.

The Alliance demonstration will showcase live OpenADR feeds bridged in real time to commercially available Z-Wave products that will automatically change states based on OpenADR requests. Alliance Members BuLogics and Echo Labs will demonstrate hardware and software solutions for these Smart Grid applications. In addition, Alliance Member Universal Devices will participate in a panel discussion on Demand Response Systems.

"Z-Wave is a key enabling technology in the energy management revolution for utilities as well as consumers," said Mark Walters, Chairman of the Z-Wave Alliance. "As energy providers seek solutions that connect their energy management strategies to rate payers' loads, Z-Wave offers them the world's largest ecosystem of interoperable products. Z-Wave is already the technology of choice for the telcos, security companies and retailers that are driving the smart home market and, of course, amongst consumers themselves. Our demos at Grid-Interop will show how simple, effective and instrumental Z-Wave can be for the Smart Grid."

At the Grid-Interop event, several Z-Wave Alliance members will conduct demonstrations of Z-Wave's interoperable enabling capabilities in a live demand response application. One demonstration will consist of a bi-directional OpenADR bridge based on BuLogics' StratIS cloud service and gateway technologies as designed for large wireless deployments used in commercial properties and multi-dwelling units. These systems will be receiving a live OpenADR 2.0a feed from an Akuacom Demand Response Automation System (DRAS), using its content to control and monitor any of the widely available Z-Wave-based products, reporting on success or failure of the OpenADR response.

In addition, ECHO Labs will demonstrate a commercially available residential/small business-grade energy management solution, featuring 2-way OpenADR communication using a Z-Wave automation system. Running on a Z-Wave-based gateway, ECHO's ERGY software will receive and interpret OpenADR commands that can be directly used as triggers for automation. ERGY will return, via the OpenADR API, a response indicating whether or not the system's load was reduced by the amount specified in the OpenADR request. The demonstration hardware will include commercially available Z-Wave products that will automatically change states based on the OpenADR requests, including a gateway, a thermostat and 120 and 240v Z-Wave light switches.

The Grid-Interop conference gathers the industry's top utility, government, technology and standards leaders to help define the future strategy for Smart Grid technology implementation and interoperability. In partnership with the GridWise Architecture Council (GWAC), Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Grid-Interop 2012 will tackle key issues related to utilities' Smart Grid deployments. Grid-Interop will take place December 3-6 in Irving, TX.

About The Z-Wave Alliance:Established in 2005, the Z-Wave Alliance is an open consortium of leading companies worldwide dedicated to delivering affordable, reliable, easy-to-use, wireless home control products and services. With more than 700 interoperable products certified and over 160 members, the Alliance represents the largest ecosystem of wireless control products in existence and the global, brand-recognized companies that bring these products and services to market. The Alliance supports its members with marketing, networking, technical forums, training, best practices, test and certification tools and a complete interoperability lab. For more information about the Alliance and how to join it, please email info@z-wavealliance.org or visit www.z-wavealliance.org.